Gauchos del Mar — Surfing the American Pacific

This is the truck that brought us from Los Angeles all through the American Continent to Chile, where we are now. We found this perfectly barreling right in Mexico. It was us two brothers surfing for weeks, no one around, just empty lines and Julian Azulay paddling out for a morning session. Captions by Joaquin Azulay.

Camping along the whole continent is what we’ve been doing for the past 11 months. Epic campsite in the Baja Peninsula. We stayed six days at this spot without seeing another soul, eating snails and mussels straight from the sea. Then we were forced to leave when we ran out of drinking water, but the perfect rights continued.

Enjoying the sunset with local kids in northern Ecuador. We tandem surfed with them for several days and taught them the basics of surfing. The name of the boat means “God will know my return”, symbolizing our timeless adventure that started on July 8th 2010

Darwin Island showing its potential. Apart from the endless wildlife the archipelago has a variety of waves, the conditions are fickle but when the elements combine, it results in perfection. You choose, right or left. A-frame symmetry going unridden.

Peru´s desert is extremely hot during the day and cool at night. The tarp provided us shade in the desert and acted as a shelter from rain in Mexico and Central America. While we weren’t surfing, we cooked, filmed and shared some mates (Argentinean tea) under this shade.

Oily glass conditions created the opportunity for this timeless shot in this secret location. Joaquin hanging five barrel with a 5,9 fish on a righthander, which can be really difficult to find in the Land of Lefts.

Exploration never ended for us. We turned at every dusty road that lead to the sea and checked for desert jewels. Some detours were a waste of fuel while others put us into a position that gave us no choice but to set up camp.

Eyes glued to a glowing screen, fingers tapping on plastic, we have all dreamed of relinquishing responsibility and heading into the wild. Few carry out this desire, weighed down by home comforts and commitments, but those who do shine as a beacon of possibility.

In March 2010 two Argentinian brothers, Joaquin and Julian Azulay, were in Los Angeles working frantically to put together an architecture exhibition. Business school loomed ahead for one, full time employment for the other, and the weight of a static future lay heavy on their restless souls.

"One afternoon we went for a surf session at Manhattan Pier, the waves were fun but the important thing was that the trip started there." says Joaquin. "Seemingly out of nowhere my brother decided to quit his plans and work for some more months in California to buy a car, then drive back home (Buenos Aires). I joined immediately, without thinking about my academic obligations, or on how we were going to be able to finance the adventure. It was a crazy idea going on an endless surf trip with my brother, exploring the American Pacific coast."

Seemingly out of nowhere my brother decided to quit his plans and work for some more months in California to buy a car, then drive back home (Buenos Aires). Joaquin Azulay

When a truck had been purchased and camping essentials accumulated, the boys set off, cruising past the packed lineups of Southern California with glee. From this point on they transformed into their adventurous alter egos, the Gauchos del Mar (cowboys of the sea), a pair of moustachioed brothers keen to squeeze every drop of life from what comes their way.

"After 403 days, 13 countries and 30,000 kms camping and surfing in the American Continent, from LA to southern Chile, we got back home." says Joaquin. "We put our heads down and produced a documentary of the trip, which won 9 awards at international film festivals." The photos above provide a tantalising glimpse of what they encountered. If you want the full story, their film, Gauchos Del Mar: Suring the American Pacific, is available on to rent on Vimeo on Demand HERE.